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This Week in Congress Both chambers of Congress were in session this week. The House voted on two bills to repeal energy efficiency programs: Homeowner Energy Freedom Act (H.R. 4758): This bill would rescind funds allocated in the Inflation Reduction Act for states to establish energy efficiency assistance programs. Home Appliance Protection and Affordability Act…

SCOTUS’s Decision on Tariffs Imposed Under IEEPA On Friday, February 20, 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA): In a 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court declared that tariffs imposed under the IEEPA are unlawful. However, the majority opinion did not address whether or how refunds…

Impact of the Department of Homeland Security’s Shutdown? The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shut down on February 14 after a failed attempt to push for Senate votes on the House-passed DHS appropriations bill. A separate resolution aimed at maintaining Homeland Security activities and programs at FY 2025 levels for two more weeks also failed.…

Congress’s Attempts to Address Biofuels Under a deal reached in January, the House Rural Domestic Energy Council has until February 25 to introduce and bring to the floor a bill aimed at expanding the sales of E15, an ethanol-based biofuel. The Council’s Co-Chairs have circulated a discussion draft and plan to release a formal proposal…

ASA of Washington Opposes HB 2724/SB 6346 – Millionaire’s Tax Legislation! The ASA of Washington works to improve the business environment in the construction industry and that’s why they strongly oppose HB 2724 and SB 6346, legislation to impose a 9.9% tax on income exceeding $1 million. This legislation would create a complex impact on…

This Week in Congress Both chambers of Congress are in session this week and will be in recess next week. The House considered four bills including the SAVE Act (S. 1383), which would require proof of citizenship for voter registration and photo identification to vote in federal elections; the Law-Enforcement Innovate to De-Escalate Act (H.R. 2189), which…

FY26 Appropriations Update Last Tuesday, Congress passed, and President Trump signed, a Senate-revised appropriations minibus, bringing an end to a brief partial government shutdown. The bill fully funds all federal agencies and programs for the remainder of FY 2026 (ending on September 30), except for those covered by the Homeland Security bill. Homeland Security funding…

Rescission of Health and Transportation Funds The Trump administration is rescinding a total of $1.5 billion in health and transportation funds from multiple blue states. The OMB directed the Transportation Department to rescind $943 million from Colorado, Illinois, California and Minnesota, and it directed the CDC to rescind $602 million from those states. The cut…

Protection of Federal Workers or Not? The Trump administration has finalized a rule that allows for the easier dismissal of 50,000 federal workers focused on policy. This change eliminates many civil service and whistleblower protections, effectively converting their status to something similar to that of political appointees, who can be fired at will. The administration…

ASA Central PA and ASA SWPA Support Anti-Indemnification Legislation On Wednesday, February 4th, the Pennsylvania House Judiciary Committee passed HB1541 unanimously, a key anti-indemnification bill that ASA Central PA and SWPA Chapters have been advocating for since July 2019. ASA Central PA and ASA SWPA Chapters, along with other subcontractor and design professional groups, have…